Baby Jesus: devotion to obtain graces
BABY JESUS
Main apostles of the devotion to the Child Jesus were: Saint Francis of Assisi creator of the crib, Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Gaetano Thiene, Saint Ignatius, Saint Stanislaus, Saint Veronica Giuliani, the Blessed De Iacobis, Santa Teresa del Bambin Gesù, San Pio who drunk the fortune to contemplate him sensibly or to hold him in his arms. Great impulse came from Sister Margherita of SS. Sacramento (XNUMXth century) and the Venerable Father Cyril, Carmelite, with the famous Child of Prague (XNUMXth century).
In the treasures of the merits of my childhood you will find that my grace is abundant.
(Jesus to Sister Margherita).
The more you honor me, the more I will favor you
(Baby Jesus to Father Cyril).
PRAGUE CHILD JESUS
Father Cyril was the first great propagator of the devotion to the holy Child Jesus who from now on will be called "Prague", precisely for the place from which it originates. The devotion to the Child Jesus in the Prague convent was born from the faith of Father Giovanni Ludovico dell'Assunta in 1628. According to the narrator of the chronicler, newly elected prior Father Giovanni, "he ordered the sub-prior and master of novices, Father Cipriano of Santa Maria, who , to educate the new religious, he procured a beautiful statue or an image representing the child of God in an infantile form and placed it in the common oratory, where the friars dedicated themselves to prayer every day, morning and evening; so that, looking at the statue or the image, they were gradually induced to understand the humility of Jesus our Savior ". The sub-prior found the person who donated the desired statue in Princess Polissena of Lobkowicz. It was a family memory and the princess in 1628, widowed, donated the wax figurine of the Child Jesus to the convent so that it could be properly kept there.
Only a few years later, in 1641, at the request of lay devotees, the statue of the Child Jesus found a place in the church, offered to public veneration. The faithful flocked to it with simplicity and confidence. It became true what one day the venerable Father Cirillo was heard to say in his heart, while praying in front of the image restored in honor, but still with the signs of the outrage made by the heretics who had cut the hands of the figurine:
“Have pity on me and I will have pity on you; give me my hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor me, the more I will favor you. "
Devotion to that image became popular in Prague and began to cross the borders of Czechoslovakia because the Discalced Carmelites promoted it assiduously in each of their churches.
Among all the centers of worship and devotion to the holy Child Jesus of Prague, the sanctuary-basilica of Arenzano (Genoa-Italy) stands out today for the fame and the turnout of the faithful.
THE MEDAL of the BABY JESUS of PRAGUE
It is a "Malta" cross of common size, engraved with the image of the Infant Jesus of Prague, and is blessed. It is very effective against the pitfalls of the devil who tries to harm both souls and bodies.
It draws its effectiveness from the image of the Child Jesus and from the cross. Some gospel words are engraved on it, almost all pronounced by the Divine Master. The initials are read around the figure of the Child Jesus: "VRS" Vade retro, Satan (Vattene, Satan); "RSE" Rex sum ego (I am king); "ART" Adveniat regnum tuum (Thy kingdom come).
But the most effective invocation to keep the devil away and prevent him from doing harm is certainly the name "Jesus".
Other words present are: Verbum caro factum est (And the Word became flesh), which are engraved on the back of the medal, with those around the monogram of Christ that say: Vincit, Regnat, Imperat, nos ab omni malo defendat (Vince , Reigns, Domina, defends us from all evil).
The safeguard medal is sent to those who request it from the sanctuary.